Electronic device

Abstract

An electronic device (1) comprises a circuit board (50) and a housing (10) that houses the circuit board (50). A plurality of through-holes (27) are formed in the housing (10). Some through-holes (27) among the plurality of through-holes (27) are conductive-terminal through-holes (28) through each of which a conductive terminal (53) that is conductive with an electronic component on the circuit board (50) passes. The remaining through-holes (27) are non-conductive through-holes (29) through which no conductive terminal (53) passes. The non-conductive through-holes (29) each have provided thereto a dummy terminal (60) that is made of a material different from that of the conductive terminal (53), is non-conductive with an electronic component on the circuit board (50), and reduces a gap formed in the housing (10) by the non-conductive through-hole (29).

Description

electronic equipment CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Patent Application No. 2024-85834 filed in Japan on May 27, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0002] This relates to an electronic device that functions as a connector.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an electrical junction box. This electrical junction box houses a circuit board and is provided with a connector. Furthermore, this electrical junction box is provided with a crushing rib between the opposing surfaces of the connector and the opening hole to ensure dustproof and waterproof properties. The presence of this crushing rib prevents the increase of gaps. IP40 indicates the level of dustproof and waterproof performance of electrical equipment. The contents of the prior art documents are incorporated by reference as explanations of the technical elements in this specification.

[0004] JP 2016-208785 A

[0005] An electronic device that functions as a connector can be configured by providing a circuit board with multiple terminals and housing the circuit board and terminals in a state where the terminals protrude from the housing. In this configuration, it is necessary to provide through holes in the housing through which the terminals pass.

[0006] In order to accommodate various specifications, it is conceivable to provide a plurality of through holes in the housing corresponding to the positions where terminals may be provided. In this case, if the number of terminals provided on the circuit board is less than the number of through holes formed in the housing, there will be through holes that are not penetrated by terminals. In order to satisfy one or both of the dustproof and waterproof requirements, it is preferable to block all of the through holes.

[0007] One possible solution is to mount a terminal (hereinafter referred to as a conductive terminal) that is electrically connected to the electronic components on the circuit board on the circuit board in a non-conductive state, thereby blocking the insertion hole. However, manufacturing the terminal requires copper plate manufacturing, undercoating treatment, surface plating treatment, annealing treatment, pressing treatment, etc., which results in a large amount of carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, this is not desirable from the perspective of the societal demand for decarbonization.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made based on this situation, and its purpose is to provide an electronic device that eliminates the need to mount conductive terminals in a non-conductive state, while reducing the gaps created by through holes formed in the housing.

[0009] The symbols in parentheses in the claims indicate a correspondence with the specific aspects described in the embodiments described below as one aspect, and do not limit the disclosed technical scope.

[0010] One disclosure for achieving the above object is an electronic device including a circuit board and a housing that houses the circuit board, wherein a plurality of through holes are formed in the housing, some of the plurality of through holes are conductive terminal through holes through which conductive terminals that are electrically connected to electronic components on the circuit board pass, and the remaining of the plurality of through holes are non-conductive through holes through which no conductive terminals pass, and the non-conductive through holes are provided with gap reducing members that are made of a material different from the conductive terminals and are electrically non-conductive to the electronic components on the circuit board, and that reduce gaps formed in the housing by the non-conductive through holes.

[0011] In this electronic device, the gap reducing member is provided in the non-conductive through hole formed in the housing, thereby reducing the gap at the non-conductive through hole. Also, there is no need to mount unused conductive terminals on the circuit board to close the through hole.

[0012] 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an electronic device according to a first embodiment; a schematic diagram of a cross section taken along line II-II in FIG. 1; a diagram showing the state of FIG. 2 with the circuit board removed; a diagram showing an electronic device in a state where dummy terminals are provided; a diagram showing a state where a female connector is mated with a male connector; a diagram showing an electronic device according to a second embodiment; a diagram showing an electronic device according to a third embodiment; an enlarged cross section of an insertion member according to the third embodiment; a diagram showing an electronic device according to a fourth embodiment; an enlarged cross section of an insertion member according to the fourth embodiment; a plan view of the component side of a fifth embodiment; a plan view of the component side of a sixth embodiment; a plan view of the component side of a seventh embodiment; a plan view of the component side as a comparative example for comparison with the seventh embodiment; a plan view of the component side of an eighth embodiment.

[0013] First Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment describes a configuration that satisfies IP40, and the shape and some of the configuration are simplified. Note that IP40 is an example of a dustproof and waterproof requirement. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an electronic device 1 according to the first embodiment. The electronic device 1 is mounted, for example, in a vehicle. Note that, for convenience of explanation, the state shown in FIG. 1 is a state before a dummy terminal 60 (see FIG. 4) for satisfying IP40 is provided.

[0014] The electronic device 1 includes a housing 10. The housing 10 is configured by combining an upper housing 20 and a lower housing 30. A space for accommodating a circuit board 50 is formed within the housing 10. The upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30 are both made of a non-conductive material, for example, a non-conductive resin. Examples of non-conductive resins include glass fiber reinforced polybutylene terephthalate, glass fiber reinforced polypropylene, and talc-filled polypropylene. In FIG. 1 , the upper housing 20 is positioned above the lower housing 30. However, there is no restriction on the relative positions of the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30 when the electronic device 1 is mounted.

[0015] The upper housing 20 includes a rectangular, flat upper plate 21 and a rectangular, flat peripheral wall 22 extending from the edge of the upper plate 21 toward the lower housing 30. The lower housing 30 includes a rectangular, flat lower plate 31 and a rectangular, flat peripheral wall 32 extending from the edge of the lower plate 31 toward the upper housing 20. There are no particular limitations on the method for joining the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30. For example, the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30 may be joined by a snap-fit ​​mechanism.

[0016] A connector housing 23 is formed in the upper housing 20. The connector housing 23 is provided on the surface of the upper plate portion 21. The connector housing 23 has a pair of opposing long wall portions 24 and a pair of opposing short wall portions 25. The long wall portion 24 and the short wall portion 25 are both rectangular and flat.

[0017] The short wall portions 25 are connected to both longitudinal ends of the long wall portion 24. With this configuration, the connector housing 23 has a rectangular column-shaped space formed inside.

[0018] An electronic component 51 is fixed to the circuit board 50. The surface of the circuit board 50 on which the electronic component 51 is fixed is referred to as a component surface 52. Although only one electronic component 51 is shown in FIG. 1 , a plurality of electronic components 51 may be fixed to the circuit board 50.

[0019] Conductive terminals 53 are also fixed to the circuit board 50. The conductive terminals 53 are made of, for example, brass or phosphor bronze. The conductive terminals 53 function as pins of the male connector 70 (see FIG. 5 ) and are manufactured through processes such as copper plate production, undercoating, surface plating, annealing, and press working. The circuit board 50 has a plurality of through holes 54 formed therein, into which one ends of the conductive terminals 53 are inserted. The conductive terminals 53 are, for example, press-fit terminals, and can be fixed to the circuit board 50 by press-fitting. Alternatively, the conductive terminals 53 may be fixed to the circuit board 50 using a pin header configuration.

[0020] The shape of the portion of the conductive terminal 53 located inside the connector housing 23 is such that it fits into a terminal insertion hole formed in the female connector 80. The shape of the portion of the conductive terminal 53 located in the connector housing 23 is, for example, cylindrical or prismatic. The tip of the conductive terminal 53 may be tapered toward the tip.

[0021] The plurality of through holes 54 are aligned in a straight line. The through holes 54 are holes that penetrate the circuit board 50 and have copper-plated inner surfaces.

[0022] Lands 55 are formed on the component surface 52 at portions that come into contact with the through-holes 54. Lands 55 are also formed on the back surface, which is the surface of the circuit board 50 opposite the component surface 52, at portions that come into contact with the through-holes 54. Each of the conductive terminals 53 is electrically connected to one of the electronic components 51 by providing a wiring pattern on the circuit board 50.

[0023] Non-through holes 56 are also formed in the same straight line where the multiple through holes 54 are formed. Like the through holes 54, the non-through holes 56 are holes that penetrate the circuit board 50. The diameters of the through holes 54 and the non-through holes 56 are the same. However, the inner surfaces of the non-through holes 56 are not plated. Furthermore, no lands 55 are formed on the front and back surfaces of the circuit board 50 in areas that contact the non-through holes 56. This is because no conductive terminals 53 are inserted into the non-through holes 56, so plating of the inner surfaces and no lands 55 are necessary. Note that there may be through holes 54 to which no conductive terminals 53 are fixed.

[0024] The through holes 54 and non-through holes 56 are arranged at a constant distance between adjacent through holes 54 or non-through holes 56 on a straight line. In Fig. 1, one through hole 54, one non-through hole 56, three through holes 54, and one non-through hole 56 are formed in this order from one end of the straight line. This is just one example, and the number of through holes 54 and non-through holes 56, the number of consecutive through holes 54, and the number of consecutive non-through holes 56 can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, the through holes 54 and non-through holes 56 may be arranged on multiple straight lines.

[0025] The circuit board 50 is further formed with connection holes 57 for connection to the upper housing 20. In Fig. 1, two connection holes 57 are formed. The number of connection holes 57 is not limited to the example in Fig. 1.

[0026] Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the assembled electronic device 1 taken along line II-II in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the upper housing 20 is formed with a protruding pillar portion 26 that protrudes toward the circuit board 50. Fig. 3 is a view showing the state of Fig. 2 with the circuit board 50 removed. As shown in Fig. 3, a recessed portion 26a that is recessed radially inward relative to other portions is formed at the tip of the protruding pillar portion 26. The upper housing 20 and the circuit board 50 are joined together by fitting this recessed portion 26a into the connecting hole 57.

[0027] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the upper plate portion 21 of the upper housing 20 has a plurality of through holes 27 formed therein, penetrating the upper plate portion 21 in the thickness direction. All of the plurality of through holes 27 have the same size. As shown in Figure 2, conductive terminals 53 pass through some of the through holes 27. These through holes 27 are referred to as conductive terminal through holes 28. The remaining through holes 27 do not have conductive terminals 53 passing through them. These through holes 27 are referred to as non-conductive through holes 29.

[0028] FIG. 4 shows the electronic device 1 with dummy terminals 60 installed. The material of the dummy terminals 60 is different from the material of the conductive terminals 53. Specifically, the dummy terminals 60 are made of a non-conductive material, such as a non-conductive resin. Examples of non-conductive resins that can be used for the dummy terminals 60 include polybutylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polyphenylene sulfide, liquid crystal polymer, and syndiotactic polystyrene. Even if the dummy terminals 60 are partially made of the same material as the conductive terminals 53, if some of the material is different from that of the conductive terminals 53, the material of the dummy terminals 60 can be said to be different from that of the conductive terminals 53. For example, the material of the dummy terminals 60 can be said to be different from that of the conductive terminals 53 if the surface material is plated or not. The dummy terminals 60 are fixed in non-through holes 56 in the circuit board 50. Because the dummy terminals 60 are made of a non-conductive resin, they are not electrically conductive to the electronic component 51 when mounted on the circuit board 50.

[0029] The fixing means for the dummy terminals 60 is not limited. Like the conductive terminals 53, the dummy terminals 60 in this embodiment are press-fit terminals, and have the same length and diameter as the conductive terminals 53. However, the length and diameter of the dummy terminals 60 do not have to be the same as those of the conductive terminals 53. The length of the dummy terminals 60 need only be such that the dummy terminals 60 pass through the non-conductive through-holes 29 or have their tips positioned in the non-conductive through-holes 29. The diameter of the dummy terminals 60 need only be such that the dummy terminals 60 can fit into the non-conductive through-holes 29 and the terminal fitting holes of the female connector 80. From the perspectives of ease of mounting and coupling with the female connector 80, a smaller diameter of the dummy terminals 60 is preferable. On the other hand, from the perspective of dust resistance, a larger diameter of the dummy terminals 60 is preferable. The diameter of the dummy terminals 60 is determined taking into account ease of mounting and the required dust resistance.

[0030] The dummy terminals 60 can be mounted on the circuit board 50 by the same device used to mount the conductive terminals 53 on the circuit board 50. The dummy terminals 60 can be mounted on the circuit board 50 after the conductive terminals 53 are mounted on the circuit board 50 or before the conductive terminals 53 are mounted on the circuit board 50.

[0031] The dummy terminals 60 pass through the non-conductive through holes 29. Therefore, the gaps formed in the upper housing 20 due to the presence of the non-conductive through holes 29 are reduced by the dummy terminals 60 passing through the non-conductive through holes 29. In other words, the dummy terminals 60 function as gap reducing members that reduce the gaps formed in the upper housing 20 by the non-conductive through holes 29.

[0032] In the state shown in Fig. 4, the conductive terminals 53 protrude into the connector housing 23, thereby forming a male connector 70 in the electronic device 1. Fig. 5 shows the state in which the female connector 80 is mated with the male connector 70.

[0033] In the electronic device 1 of the first embodiment described above, the dummy terminals 60 are provided in the non-conductive through holes 29, thereby reducing the gaps that occur in the areas of the non-conductive through holes 29. Furthermore, there is no need to mount unused conductive terminals 53 on the circuit board 50 to block the through holes 27. The dummy terminals 60 are used to reduce the gaps that occur in the areas of the non-conductive through holes 29, and because the dummy terminals 60 are made of a non-conductive material, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced compared to mounting unused conductive terminals 53 on the circuit board 50 to meet IP40 standards.

[0034] Furthermore, since the entire housing 10 is made of a non-conductive material, even if the conductive terminal 53 comes into contact with the housing 10, a short circuit will not occur.

[0035] Furthermore, the dummy terminals 60 are inserted into the non-through holes 56 of the circuit board 50. The non-through holes 56 are through holes formed in the circuit board 50, similar to the through holes 54 into which the conductive terminals 53 are inserted. Therefore, the dummy terminals 60 can be mounted on the circuit board 50 by the same device used to mount the conductive terminals 53 on the circuit board 50, and therefore the dummy terminals 60 can be easily mounted.

[0036] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the following description of the second embodiment, elements having the same reference numerals as those used previously are the same as those in the previous embodiments unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, when only a portion of the configuration is described, the previously described embodiment can be applied to the other portions of the configuration.

[0037] Fig. 6 shows an electronic device 200 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 6 corresponds to Fig. 4 of the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 6, the electronic device 200 includes dummy terminals 260 instead of the dummy terminals 60 of the first embodiment. The dummy terminals 260 differ from the dummy terminals 60 in length. They are made of the same material as the dummy terminals 60. The dummy terminals 260 are also an example of a gap-reducing member, and their tips are located in the non-conductive through-holes 29.

[0038] The length of the dummy terminals 260 is such that their tips are flush with the surface of the upper plate portion 21. Therefore, even when the female connector 80 is mated, the dummy terminals 260 do not come into contact with the female connector 80. Therefore, there is no possibility that the male connector 70 and the female connector 80 will not be able to mate due to a positional error of the dummy terminals 260.

[0039] 7 shows an electronic device 300 according to a third embodiment. In the third embodiment, a fitting member 360 is provided as a gap reducing member, which is fitted into the non-conductive through-hole 29 of the upper housing 20. The fitting member 360 is attached to the upper housing 20 before the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30 are joined together. The fitting member 360 is not fixed to the circuit board 50, and is spaced apart from the circuit board 50 when the electronic device 300 is formed.

[0040] The material of the fitting member 360 may be any material that can be attached to the upper housing 20. For example, the fitting member 360 may be made of an elastically deformable non-conductive resin. Examples of the non-conductive resin that can be used as the material of the fitting member 360 include those exemplified as the material of the housing 10 and those exemplified as the material of the dummy terminals 60.

[0041] Fig. 8 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of fitting member 360. Fig. 8 is a view taken along a cross section passing through the central axis of fitting member 360. Fitting member 360 comprises a base portion 361, a shaft portion 362, and a tip portion 363. The size of base portion 361 in the downward direction of upper plate portion 21 is larger than the opening of non-conductive through-hole 29. When base portion 361 comes into contact with the back surface of upper plate portion 21, fitting member 360 is prevented from moving further upward.

[0042] The shaft portion 362 has a thickness that allows it to be inserted into the non-conductive through-hole 29, and one axial end thereof is connected to the base portion 361. The tip portion 363 protrudes radially outward from the non-conductive through-hole 29 beyond the shaft portion 362. The length by which the tip portion 363 protrudes radially outward from the non-conductive through-hole 29 beyond the shaft portion 362 decreases from the shaft portion 362 toward the tip in the axial direction.

[0043] The shaft portion 362 and the tip portion 363 form a snap-fit ​​portion 364. The shaft portion 362 and the tip portion 363 may have any shape that functions as a snap-fit. For example, the shaft portion 362 may be a cylinder, and the tip portion 363 may be a hollow truncated cone. Alternatively, the shaft portion 362 and the tip portion 363 may be a pair of plate-like bodies as shown in the cross-sectional shape of FIG. 8.

[0044] When attaching the insertion member 360 to the upper housing 20, the insertion member 360 is inserted into the non-conductive through-hole 29 from the underside of the upper plate portion 21, i.e., the surface on the circuit board 50 side, with the tip portion 363 facing the non-conductive through-hole 29.

[0045] The tip portion 363 reduces in diameter when passing through the non-conductive through hole 29 and returns to its original diameter after passing through the non-conductive through hole 29. Because the tip portion 363 protrudes radially further than the shaft portion 362, the tip portion 363 passes through the non-conductive through hole 29 and protrudes from the surface of the upper plate portion 21, thereby attaching the fitting member 360 to the upper housing 20. Note that the tip portion 363 does not need to protrude radially outward from the non-conductive through hole 29 beyond the shaft portion 362 over the entire circumference. It is sufficient that a portion in the circumferential direction protrudes radially outward from the non-conductive through hole 29 beyond the shaft portion 362.

[0046] The fitting member 360 is attached to the upper plate portion 21 of the upper housing 20 and is spaced apart from the circuit board 50. This allows the area of ​​the circuit board 50 on which the electronic components 51 are arranged to be increased.

[0047] Furthermore, the fitting member 360 can be attached to the upper housing 20 before the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30 are combined to form the housing 10, and does not need to be assembled to the circuit board 50. Therefore, interference between the fitting member 360 and other components is unlikely to occur during the subsequent assembly process of the electronic device 300.

[0048] The fitting member 360 has a base 361 located inside the housing 10. In this case, when fitting the fitting member 360 to the upper housing 20, the fitting member 360 is inserted into the non-conductive through-hole 29 from the underside of the upper plate 21 before the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30 are joined together. At this time, the conductive terminal 53 has not yet been attached to the upper housing 20, and the connector housing 23 is not present on the underside of the upper plate 21. Therefore, the fitting member 360 to the upper housing 20 can be easily attached.

[0049] 9 shows an electronic device 400 according to a fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, a fitting member 460 is provided as a gap reducing member that is fitted into the non-conductive through-hole 29 of the upper housing 20. Similar to the fitting member 360, the fitting member 460 is attached to the upper housing 20 before the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30 are joined together. Also, similar to the fitting member 360, the fitting member 460 is not fixed to the circuit board 50, and is spaced apart from the circuit board 50 when the electronic device 400 is formed.

[0050] 10 shows an enlarged view of the fitting member 460. The fitting member 460 includes a base portion 461, a shaft portion 462, and a rib portion 463. The size of the base portion 461 in the direction of the lower surface of the upper plate portion 21 is larger than the opening of the non-conductive through-hole 29.

[0051] The shaft portion 462 is cylindrical and has a thickness that allows it to be inserted into the non-conductive through-hole 29. One axial end of the shaft portion 462 is connected to the base portion 461. The rib portion 463 is provided on a portion of the shaft portion 462 in the circumferential direction. The rib portion 463 protrudes radially from the shaft portion 462, and the length by which the rib portion 463 protrudes radially from the shaft portion 462 increases as it approaches the base portion 461. The rib portion 463 is made of the same material as the upper plate portion 21 or a softer material than the upper plate portion 21.

[0052] The fitting member 460 can be integrally molded from the material of the rib portion 463. The fitting member 460 is made of, for example, a non-conductive resin.

[0053] When attaching the fitting member 460 to the upper housing 20, the fitting member 460 is inserted into the non-conductive through-hole 29 from the underside of the upper plate 21 with the shaft portion 462 facing the non-conductive through-hole 29. When the shaft portion 462 is inserted into the non-conductive through-hole 29, the rib portion 463 is crushed, and the fitting member 460 is fixed to the upper plate 21.

[0054] The fitting member 460 is attached to the top plate 21 of the upper housing 20 and is spaced apart from the circuit board 50. This allows for a larger area for arranging the electronic components 51 on the circuit board 50. Furthermore, since the fitting member 460 can be attached to the upper housing 20 before the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30 are combined to form the housing 10, interference between the fitting member 460 and other components is less likely to occur during the subsequent assembly process of the electronic device 400.

[0055] The fitting member 460 has a base 461 located inside the housing 10. Therefore, similar to the fitting member 360, the fitting member 460 can be attached to the upper housing 20 with good workability.

[0056] Fifth Embodiment Fig. 11 shows a plan view of a component surface 52 of a fifth embodiment. The component surface 52 in Fig. 11 has two rows extending in the X-axis direction, each row consisting of through holes 54 and non-through holes 56, arranged in the Y-axis direction. The arrangement of the through holes 54 and non-through holes 56 is the same in both rows, and the non-through holes 56 are provided next to the through holes 54 at one end in the X-axis direction. It can be said that the through holes 54 at the end of the array and adjacent to the non-through holes 56 are not adjacent to any other through holes 54 in the row direction.

[0057] Hereinafter, this through hole 54 that is not adjacent to other through holes 54 in the column direction will be referred to as a non-adjacent through hole 54a. Like the other through holes 54, the non-adjacent through hole 54a is electrically connected to the electronic component 51 by wiring provided on the circuit board 50. The electronic component 51 to which the non-adjacent through hole 54a is connected can be an electronic component 51 for high-speed communication. One example of high-speed communication is in-vehicle Ethernet. Note that Ethernet is a registered trademark. The communication speed of in-vehicle Ethernet is, for example, 10 Mbps or higher. However, high-speed communication may also be 1 Mbps or higher. Another example of high-speed communication is CAN FD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate). Note that CAN is a registered trademark.

[0058] When electronic component 51 for high-speed communication is connected, an electrical signal for high-speed communication flows through non-adjacent through-hole 54 a and conductive terminal 53 that passes through non-adjacent through-hole 54 a. Therefore, there is concern about the influence of noise generated by the electrical signal around the signal path through which this electrical signal flows.

[0059] However, in the fifth embodiment, the non-through hole 56 is adjacent to the non-adjacent through hole 54a. Therefore, the signal path through which the electrical signal for high-speed communication flows can be spaced farther from other signal paths than when the non-through hole 56 is replaced by the through hole 54. This reduces the effects of noise generated by the electrical signal for high-speed communication.

[0060] 12 shows a plan view of the component surface 52 of a sixth embodiment. The sixth embodiment relates to the arrangement of the through holes 54 and the non-through holes 56 when fitting members 360, 460 are used as gap reducing members, such as in the third and fourth embodiments.

[0061] In Fig. 12, there are two rows of through holes 54 and non-through holes 56, as in the fifth embodiment. However, in the sixth embodiment, there are six through holes 54, and all of the through holes 54 are present in one through hole region 658. Although the through hole region 658 is shown as a rectangle in Fig. 12, the shape of the through hole region 658 may be a polygon other than a rectangle, and the region boundary may be curved, as long as it is a ring shape that includes the target through hole 54. The size of the through hole region 658 is such that another through hole 54 cannot be provided between the region boundary and the through hole 54 in a predetermined shape such as a rectangle.

[0062] There are four non-through holes 56, and all of the non-through holes 56 are located in a non-through hole region 659. In Fig. 12, the non-through hole region 659 is also rectangular, but the shape of the non-through hole region 659 may also be a polygon other than a rectangle, and the region boundary may be curved, as long as the region boundary is a ring shape that includes the target non-through hole 56. The size of the non-through hole region 659 is such that, in a predetermined shape such as a rectangle, another non-through hole 56 cannot be located between the region boundary and the non-through hole 56.

[0063] The through-hole region 658 and the non-through-hole region 659 do not overlap each other. In other words, all of the through-holes 54 and all of the non-through-holes 56 are arranged together in one location. Since all of the through-holes 54 are arranged together in one location, the conductive terminals 53 inserted into the through-holes 54 are also arranged together in one location. Furthermore, since the fitting members 360 and 460 are used as gap reduction members, the dummy terminals 60 and 260 are not inserted into the non-through-holes 56. This allows for a larger area to be used to arrange electronic components 51 on the circuit board 50.

[0064] Seventh Embodiment Fig. 13 shows a plan view of the component side 52 of the seventh embodiment. The component side 52 of Fig. 13 also has two rows extending in the X direction, each row consisting of through holes 54 and non-through holes 56. Four of the through holes 54 are located in a first through hole region 758, and the remaining four are located in a second through hole region 759. Two non-through holes 56 are located between the first through hole region 758 and the second through hole region 759. The region where these two non-through holes 56 exist is referred to as a non-through hole region 760. The non-through hole region 760 is located between the first through hole region 758 and the second through hole region 759, and the first through hole region 758 and the second through hole region 759 do not overlap.

[0065] The shapes of the first through-hole region 758 and the second through-hole region 759 may be polygonal other than a rectangle, and the region boundary may be curved, as long as they are ring-shaped and include the target through-hole 54, similar to the through-hole region 658. The sizes of the first through-hole region 758 and the second through-hole region 759 are also such that, in a predetermined shape such as a rectangle, another through-hole 54 cannot be provided between the region boundary and the through-hole 54, similar to the through-hole region 658.

[0066] The shape of non-through hole region 760 may be a polygon other than a rectangle, and the region boundary may be a curved line, as long as it is a ring shape that includes the target non-through hole 56, similar to non-through hole region 659. The size of non-through hole region 760, similar to non-through hole region 659, is also set so that, in a predetermined shape such as a rectangle, another non-through hole 56 cannot be provided between the region boundary and non-through hole 56.

[0067] In this way, by providing the non-through hole region 760 between the first through hole region 758 and the second through hole region 759, as shown in Figure 13, two wirings 770 connected to the electronic component 51 can be arranged to pass through the non-through hole region 760 while having the same length.

[0068] 14 is a comparative example in which the non-through holes 56 in FIG. 13 are replaced with through holes 54. Lands 55 are provided around the through holes 54. The space between the land 55 to which the wiring 770 is connected and the land 55 that exists around the through hole 54 that replaces the non-through hole 56 is narrow, making it impossible to pass the wiring 770 through. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, it becomes necessary to provide the wiring 770 so that it passes outside the arrangement of the through holes 54, which results in the wiring 770 becoming longer. In contrast, in the seventh embodiment, the wiring 770 can be arranged in the non-through hole region 760, so the wiring 770 can be shortened.

[0069] Eighth Embodiment Fig. 15 shows a plan view of the component surface 52 of an eighth embodiment. As shown in Fig. 13, the non-through holes 56 were formed in the component surface 52 of the seventh embodiment. However, in this fifth embodiment, the non-through holes 56 are not formed in the component surface 52. The rest is the same as the seventh embodiment.

[0070] Therefore, the non-hole area 761 formed between the first through-hole area 758 and the second through-hole area 759 is large enough to allow the non-through-hole 56 to be formed.

[0071] The area between the first through-hole area 758 and the second through-hole area 759 is large enough to allow the non-through-holes 56 to be formed, but there is also a non-hole area 761 where no non-through-holes 56 are formed. The presence of this non-hole area 761 allows the wiring 770 to be arranged more freely than in the seventh embodiment.

[0072] Although the embodiments have been described above, the disclosed technology is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the following modifications are also included within the scope of the disclosure. Furthermore, various modifications other than those described below can be implemented without departing from the spirit of the invention. In the following description, elements having the same reference numerals as those used up to that point are the same as the elements having the same reference numerals in the previous embodiments, unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, when only a portion of the configuration is described, the previously described embodiment can be applied to the other portions of the configuration.

[0073] <Modification 1> For example, a part of the housing 10 may be made of a conductive material, except for the inner surface of the conductive terminal through-hole 28 .

[0074] <Modification 2> A plurality of types of gap reducing members may be combined. For example, dummy terminals 60 may be inserted into some of the non-conductive through-holes 29, and dummy terminals 260 may be inserted into other non-conductive through-holes 29.

[0075] <Modification 3> In the fourth embodiment, the fitting member 460 is provided with the rib portion 463. Instead of this, a rib portion may be formed on the non-conductive through-hole 29 into which the fitting member 460 is inserted.

[0076] <Modification 4> The fitting member 360 or the fitting member 460 may be formed integrally with the upper housing 20 .

[0077] <Modification 5> The fitting members 360 and 460 may be attached to the upper housing 20 from the connector housing 23 side.

[0078] <Disclosure of Technical Ideas> This specification discloses multiple technical ideas described in the following multiple clauses. Some clauses may be described in a multiple dependent form, where the subsequent clause alternatively cites the preceding clause. Furthermore, some clauses may be described in a multiple dependent form, where the subsequent clause cites a clause in another multiple dependent form. These clauses described in multiple dependent form define multiple technical ideas.

[0079] (Technical Idea 1) An electronic device (1, 200, 300, 400) comprising a circuit board (50) and a housing (10) that houses the circuit board, wherein a plurality of through holes (27) are formed in the housing, some of the plurality of through holes are conductive terminal through holes (28) through which conductive terminals (53) that are electrically connected to electronic components on the circuit board pass, and the remaining of the plurality of through holes are non-conductive through holes (29) through which the conductive terminals do not pass, and the non-conductive through holes are provided with gap reducing members (60, 260, 360, 460) that are made of a material different from the conductive terminals and are electrically non-conductive to the electronic components on the circuit board, and that reduce gaps formed in the housing by the non-conductive through holes.

[0080] (Technical Concept 2) The electronic device according to Technical Concept 1, wherein the housing is entirely made of a non-conductive material.

[0081] (Technical Concept 3) The electronic device according to Technical Concept 1 or 2, wherein a part of the gap reducing member is located in the non-conductive through hole, and another part of the gap reducing member is a dummy terminal (60, 260) made of a non-conductive material and provided on the circuit board.

[0082] (Technical Idea 4) The length by which the dummy terminal (260) protrudes from the housing is such that the dummy terminal does not come into contact with the female connector when the female connector is connected to the conductive terminal. This is the electronic device described in Technical Idea 3.

[0083] (Technical Concept 5) The electronic device according to Technical Concept 1 or 2, wherein the gap reducing member (360, 460) is attached to the housing at a distance from the circuit board.

[0084] (Technical Concept 6) The electronic device according to Technical Concept 5, wherein the gap reducing member (360) includes a snap fit portion (364), and the snap fit portion is attached to the non-conductive through hole.

[0085] (Technical Concept 7) The electronic device according to Technical Concept 6, wherein the gap reducing member has a base portion (361) located inside the housing.

[0086] (Technical Idea 8) An electronic device described in Technical Idea 5, wherein the gap reducing member (460) is fixed to the non-conductive through hole in a state where the non-conductive through hole of the housing or a rib portion (463) provided on the gap reducing member is crushed.

[0087] (Technical Concept 9) The electronic device according to Technical Concept 8, wherein the gap reducing member has a base portion (461) located inside the housing.

[0088] (Technical Idea 10) An electronic device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 9, wherein the circuit board is formed with through holes (54, 54a) into which the conductive terminals are inserted and non-through holes (56) into which the conductive terminals are not inserted, and among the through holes, the through hole (54a) through which an electrical signal for a predetermined high-speed communication flows is adjacent to the non-through hole.

[0089] (Technical Idea 11) The electronic device described in any one of Technical Ideas 5 to 9, wherein the circuit board has a plurality of through holes into which the conductive terminals are inserted, and all of the through holes are arranged in one through hole area (658).

[0090] (Technical Idea 12) The electronic device described in any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 9, wherein the circuit board is formed with a first through-hole area (758) including one or more through-holes into which the conductive terminals are inserted, and a second through-hole area (759) spaced apart from the first through-hole area and including one or more of the through-holes, and also with a non-through-hole area (760) located between the first through-hole area and the second through-hole area and including one or more non-through-holes into which the conductive terminals are not inserted, or a non-hole area (761) large enough to form one or more non-through-holes and in which no non-through-holes are formed.

Claims

1. An electronic device (1, 200, 300, 400) comprising a circuit board (50) and a housing (10) that houses the circuit board, wherein a plurality of through holes (27, 28, 29) are formed in the housing, some of the plurality of through holes are conductive terminal through holes (28) through which conductive terminals (53) that are electrically connected to electronic components on the circuit board pass, and the remaining of the plurality of through holes are non-conductive through holes (29) through which the conductive terminals do not pass, and a gap reducing member (60, 260, 360, 460) made of a material different from the conductive terminals and that is electrically non-conductive to the electronic components on the circuit board, is provided in the non-conductive through holes to reduce gaps formed in the housing by the non-conductive through holes.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the housing is made entirely of a non-conductive material.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the gap reducing member is located in the non-conductive through-hole, and another portion is a dummy terminal (60, 260) made of a non-conductive material and provided on the circuit board.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the length by which the dummy terminal (260) protrudes from the housing is such that the dummy terminal does not come into contact with the female connector when the female connector is coupled to the conductive terminal.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the gap reducing member (360, 460) is attached to the housing at a distance from the circuit board.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the gap reducing member (360) comprises a snap-fit ​​portion (364), the snap-fit ​​portion being attached to the non-conductive through-hole.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the gap reducing member has a base (361) positioned inside the housing.

8. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the gap reducing member (460) is fixed to the non-conductive through hole in a state where a rib portion (463) provided on the non-conductive through hole of the housing or the gap reducing member is crushed.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the gap reducing member has a base (461) positioned inside the housing.

10. An electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the circuit board is formed with through holes (54, 54a) into which the conductive terminals are inserted and non-through holes (56) into which the conductive terminals are not inserted, and among the through holes, the through hole (54a), through which an electrical signal for predetermined high-speed communication flows, is adjacent to the non-through hole.

11. An electronic device according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the circuit board has a plurality of through holes into which the conductive terminals are inserted, and all of the through holes are arranged in one through hole area (658).

12. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the circuit board is formed with a first through-hole area (758) including one or more through-holes into which the conductive terminals are inserted, and a second through-hole area (759) spaced apart from the first through-hole area and including one or more of the through-holes, and wherein, between the first through-hole area and the second through-hole area, there is formed a non-through-hole area (760) including one or more non-through-holes into which the conductive terminals are not inserted, or a non-hole area (761) large enough to form one or more non-through-holes and in which no non-through-holes are formed.

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